V&O: The Octopus in Literature, an Equal, Intelligent Other

Julia takes Victoria on a deep dive of octopus stories throughout time and space in this first episode of The Vampire & the Octopus series. We tackle questions like “Are octopus stories a form of colonizer horror?” and “What’s with all the octopus books coming out recently?” and “Why did the 19th century French think the octopus was the physical embodiment of hell?” Views expressed on Book Club with Julia and Victoria and bookclubwithjv.com are solely those of the hosts and not necessarily those of their employers, clients, guests, and collaborators. Become a Member! Shop with us on Bookshop.org! Follow the podcast on Instagram and hang out with Victoria on The StoryGraph. Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that give us a commission if you decide to make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Mentioned in this Episode: The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne Finding Nemo (film) Finding Dory (film) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (film) Oceanic Mythology by Roland B Dixon “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” and “The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife” art by Hokusai Devilfish Bay “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” painting by Caspar David Friedrich “The Kraken” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett “The Octopus or The Devilfish of Fiction and Fact” by Henry Lee The Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells The Sea Raiders by H. G. Wells The Call of Cthulu by H. P. Lovecraft The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham It Came From Beneath the Sea (film) Kraken by China Mieville The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau (TV series) Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith My Octopus Teacher (film) The Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery Remarkably Bright Creaturesby Shelby Van Pelt